Campaign Journal - Part 1
By Mark O'Connell
Medieval II: Total War is an epic journey of diplomacy and destruction. When I first started working at The Creative Assembly in September 2006, I was given the opportunity to play the highly anticipated game before release. To get to know the game better, I decided to create a journal documenting all the experiences I encountered while playing through the first 100 years (50 turns) of the Grand Campaign mode. This will give newcomers an idea of the kind of events that occur on the strategy map and battlefield, and all the decisions I chose to make along the way.
With the Vatican keeping its watchful eye over Europe, it will also be beneficial to establish Churches and form faction alliances so as not to incur everyone’s wrath at once.
The first target in my planned conquering of the British Isles is the rebel town of York. Having moved a General into Nottingham, I start recruiting Mailed Knights to form the basis of my new army. These soldiers are strong against most other units except Spearman, so should provide the best possible chance of success. At the same time I begin construction of Garrison Quarters, which will enable me to train peasants and Levy Spearmen. Over in London, work begins on recruiting Spear Militia, and building a market to increase the city’s income.
Having finished my first turn, I am presented with my first mission to take the Rebel Settlement of York. Successful completion of the task will reap 2500 florins from the Council of Nobles. This turns out to be very convenient as I was planning to attack them shortly anyway! Before my attack, I decide to first send a spy to see if I can extract any useful information about my primary target.
Interestingly, Patrick Macdougall of Scotland also approaches with an offer of mutual trade rights. While I am currently rallying together a mighty army to wipe them off the face of the earth, this brief relationship could prove beneficial for a few turns to trade valuable goods.
As the settlement of Caen in Northern France is also under English rule, I begin recruiting Levy Spearmen and begin construction of a Drill Square to train my troops. A French diplomat then approaches Caen to establish trade between our people. As I have no intention of taking on the might of France at this stage, their business is more then welcome. I also propose an offer of marriage for my faction heir to marry their French Princess. Such a union would guarantee a much stronger relationship between our factions than a regular alliance. Tactically, it also ensures that the French Princess will join my English Faction. With an enthusiastic “Oui, why not”, the marriage is approved. Testing our newly forged alliance, I also try exchanging map information. Unfortunately the in-laws have other ideas and instead offer the intelligence for the sum of 610 florins. As I would rather use the money to ultimately bring on their destruction, I kindly reject the offer and we part ways. If they had however accepted the map exchange, I would have been privy to all of their strategic positions and findings from exploration.
As negotiations close, I receive word that Froderigus the Righteous has passed away, leaving an opening in the Sacred College of Cardinals. As priests move up through the ranks of the College, they can potentially get voted in as the next Pope. Perhaps it is time to start investing in a church to try and win favour with the Vatican.
The End of Turn Report also indicates that my expenditures are currently exceeding my generated income. Hopefully the market under construction in London will increase revenue. Another statistic reveals that France is the current Military leader, so our recent marriage alliance is looking like an increasingly important strategic move.
As 1086 A.D. commences, I begin construction of a church in Nottingham to allow for the training of priests. Light Infantry are recruited for the capital city, and some Hobilars in Caen. To increase my northern army size, I also instruct two Spear Militia units to depart from London. Confident that my Nottingham based army now stands a chance against York, they are led towards battle by Prince Rufus – my faction heir.
Arriving at York, Rufus’s troops lay siege on the rebel village. I could opt to lift the siege at any time if circumstances change, or begin a full-on assault. As York only has enough food for 2 turns though, I will continue the siege until their resources are depleted. If they do not engage in battle, they will eventually be forced to abandon the settlement entirely and I could take it without fighting. Continuing to build England’s religious convictions, a church is added to the construction queues of both London and Caen.
The 1086 A.D End of turn report reveals that while still producing negative profits, England’s financial situation is at least starting to improve. A turn later and Admiral Nigel’s Navel forces have unexpectedly been attacked by Rebel Pirates in the English Channel. Their numbers greatly outweigh our own by 50 men, so the result is an unsurprising defeat. The vessel did manage to stay afloat, but only long enough to run into a second pirate ship to get finished off completely! To prevent this from happening again, I make a note to keep any future vessels in port where they cannot be attacked. This way I can build up the fleet to suitable levels where defeat will be less likely.
A successful spy report shows that Edinburgh has a garrison of only 31 men, as many of their troops are battling rebels to the north. The undercover antics of Richard the Spy have improved his subterfuge skills and ability to spot distant enemies. Before I battle the Scots though, I have decided to first take on some of the rebel village of Rennes before upsetting any allies. At the same time, the council of Nobles have presented a new mission to take out a rebel settlement in Caenarvon. Completion of this task will result in being rewarded with some of the best units currently available.
Thanks for reading the first part of my Medieval II: Total War Journal. Stay tuned for the next part of my English Campaign, where I will attempt to open relations with the Spanish, capture the French wooden castle in Caernarvon, and finally wipe the Scots off the map for good. The biggest challenge will be maintaining and hopefully improving England’s rocky relationship with the Vatican, whose Catholic influence over northern Europe is making any kind of military advance difficult.
Returning to the Campaign map in 1108, it appears that
Captain Ray of Spain is leading an army towards the newly captured Rennes. A quick interception by my diplomat
establishes a trade relationship, mutual alliance, and prevents a possible
conflict. Having also traded maps with
the Spanish, I spot the Moorish capital to the South of Spain, and send
Laurence Bidell the diplomat to open discussions.
By the year 1116, it’s time to make further improvements to
my regions. London’s population has grown enough that it can be upgraded from a
town to a city. I quickly set about converting London’s wooden wall to stone
defences. Meanwhile, in Nottingham I build dirt roads to increases troop
movement and trade in the region.
After the smoke clears from battle, word is received that King
William the Conqueror has died and Rufus takes the throne. Prince Auncell then presents Davy Millord as
a candidate for adoption, and he is welcomed into the family.
In 1132, Spain breaks our alliance by besieging Rennes and
trying to starve me out.
With troops in range of Edinburgh in 1134, I first send a
spy in to try and open the enemy gates during my siege. Meanwhile in France, my additional army from
Caen has clearly intimidated the Spanish and they have withdrawn their siege. Despite
Spain’s temporary withdrawal, France sees Caen as an opportunity for expansion,
and begins a siege of their own.
Sending another army for support, the French lose their nerve and
retreat from battle. It’s clear though that to continue to have a foothold in
Europe, it will be critical to start expanding England’s control as soon as
possible.
Back home, with most of the English army preparing for the
attack on Edinburgh, London’s population is becoming unsettled because of the
small military presence there. I must resolve the attack on Edinburgh quickly.
Heading into battle, my forces outnumber the opposition by 800 men. The defending Scots offer little challenge
and are predictably pummelled into submission.
In 1148, the French decide to put Caen under siege once more
and my army attacks to fend them off.
As the French haven’t had time to construct siege weapons, they are
unable to break through my castle walls.
Having placed archers along the top of the walls, I then lure them
towards me by placing some light infantry on the field. Suitably weakened by my bombardment of
arrows, I send the rest of the army out to secure another victory. As the French remain hostile, I opt to
execute all prisoners of war, so that they may not later be used against me.
Six years later, I decide to remove the threat of the French
army that has continued to linger around Caen.
Evenly matched, this clash will prove as challenging as our previous
encounter. A snowy landscape is to
stage our battle, which is sure to be dominated in the early goings by
long-range missile fire from the well-equipped French. Again, my tactic is to mix my troops with
the French as quickly as possible, so that their armies are vulnerable to
friendly fire from their catapults. By concentrating my entire force on one
area at a time, I am able to overwhelm them to secure another victory for the
English. Realising they are no match,
the remaining French survivors in the area disband.
The Council of Nobles has given up on Dublin. Again they’ve requested that the city
is captured, and allow me 15 turns to complete the mission.
The English General Josias Terrett has decided to become a
traitor to our cause, and sided with some French rebels. For his treachery, my army of Caen are
immediately sent in to teach him and his new army a lesson. On first approach the rebels retreat but I
continue to pursue their meagre force.
Once defeated, I press on to attack another French army. Staying in
loose formation, my troops charge full into battle. Taking nearly 200 losses,
it is clear that France remains a strong adversary, but not strong enough to
win on this occasion. With the victory
in hand, my troops are set to lay siege on Angers.
Engaging the French army near Angers, we are both equally
matched and equipped. Fortunately we
are victorious and I successfully ransom off all captured troops to sustain my
ever-decreasing budget. With the surviving French men retreating, Angers now
belongs to the English and Prince Davy is rewarded with a third Command star
thanks to his battlefield prowess. As
my first official act in Angers, I will convert it into a castle in order to
train archers. Most of Europe is still
uncharted territory, so I will need to prepare my armies for the battles that
lie ahead. An exploring Portuguese army
allows the opportunity to gain favour with them, so an English Princess is
offered to the General to marry. This
holy union will hopefully protect my settlements in France from hostilities
from the nation.
With France’s control weakening, my next ambition is to
strike at their heart and take Paris, as well as hammering the final nail into
Scotland’s proverbial coffin. However,
with 100 years now complete, this draws an end to my Medieval II journal.
After suffering my first defeat, I was presented with a bit of good fortune. It seems the prolonged siege of York had paid off, and the Rebels have crumbled to the might of my Army. With the village under my control, I am presented with options to occupy the settlement, sack it, or exterminate the entire populace. Occupying the settlement offers the most long-term financial gain, so seems ultimately like the most beneficial option. With the village captured, I now turn my attentions to Scotland and send a spy up to investigate.
With the task of capturing York now complete, The Pope provides a new mission to recruit a priest in Caen. Fortunately I have already started the construction of a small Chapel in the area, so the reward of 500 florins and an improved relationship with the Pope should be easily obtainable. I have also chosen to wed Princess Cecelia to Auncell of Dunwich. While this means that Cecelia will no longer be a working representative of the English, her husband will prove a valuable asset in improving our Factions relationship. The 1092 End of Turn report reveals that for the first time we are generating a profit. This is welcome news, as we will need all the funds we can get to take on the Scottish.
After a lengthy siege in Edinburgh, I finally enter the snow-covered battlefield with 473 men. Comprised primarily of light and heavy infantry, the Scottish charge and quickly take out my General. All is not lost though, as my archers are ordered to eliminate their Captain Bertin to even the score. Next, my Calvary units break through their formation, and Hobilars are sent to eliminate the remaining pockets of resistance. Ultimately my forces prove too strong for the now heavily outnumbered rebels, and their remaining 84 men make a hasty retreat across the frosty battlefield to secure me the victory.
Campaign Journal - Part 2
By Mark O'Connell
In the first part of my English Campaign, I took
my Faction from a small nation with big ambitions, to becoming the most
dominant force in northern Europe! OK,
not quite, but that’s the plan. With
that in mind, I now continue my war with the Scots and the greater threat of
the French, in the cunningly entitled “Part 2” of my Medieval II Gaming
Journal.
I next concentrate my efforts on the capturing of the rebel
town of Caernarvon in Wales and begin a siege on the castle. While attempting to starve them out, I order
construction of a ram, siege tower and ladder in case of an eventual
assault. With waves of skirmishing
armies crossing the English boarders, I temporarily halt my siege and direct
Henry and his troops to fend off the advancing Scottish attackers. To further
complicate matters, the French have declared an alliance with Scotland, making
an eventual invasion more complicated.
After a string of victories, a large number of Scottish
prisoners of war are captured. With the
option to release them unharmed, put them up for ransom, or execute them, I
cunningly opt to cash in on the ransom to hit the Scots where it hurts most –
the wallet. The battles also proved
beneficial for Henry, who has gained 2 command stars for his success on the
field.
By 1122, Scotland is showing yet more aggression, sending
down 3 new armies. I counter by sending my forces to greet them. The Scots had
terrain advantage in the battles that followed but were significantly outnumbered
by my troops. As a result the Scots were sent packing, and, wanting to be rid
of any Scottish resistance, I instruct my men to chase down any fleeing troops
and kill every last man.
With the siege of Caernarvon having come to an end, I enter
the snowy battlefield to make claim of their castle. This time, our numbers are more evenly matched and the Scottish
army are there to meet my attack. Despite
their confidence, once again, their General falls to the might of my army, spreading
panic across their ranks. As they desperately retreat back to their castle
home, my Garrison of Hobilars, Peasant Archers, Spear Militia and Mailed
Knights are close behind. I lose very few men but put hundreds of Scots to the
sword, marking another clear success for the increasingly mighty England. With the wooden castle fallen and the
mission completed, I decide to occupy the land to add to my faction’s
expansion.
The next battle would prove more risky, as two Scottish
armies combined to take on the head of the English monarchy himself – King
Rufus. While both sides are evenly matched, the Scots also have additional
reinforcements to join their attack, including the amusingly named Captain
Kirk. A mixture of fog and rain, plus the denseness of the woods provide
additional concerns. Being vulnerable
from all sides, I focus my attacks on the Scottish General in hope that I can
force him to flee and therefore demoralise his army’s morale. The plan works marvellously and, with just
over 100 casualties, Rufus once again prevails.
It was now 1126 and with all invading forces out
of England for now, I am afforded some time to rebuild my forces, economy and
infrastructure. The Scottish have now
all retreated, but I wonder if they are uniting all of their remaining troops
for one final push for victory? Sending
Richard the spy into Edinburgh to investigate, I learn that they have close to
500 troops. Taking the capital shouldn’t be too difficult, so I rally my troops
together to march to Scotland.
I decide to take the backstabbers off guard and attack when
they least expect it. Calling on additional troops from Caen, I combine my
forces to overwhelm the enemy.
Elsewhere the council of Nobles have provided me with a mission to
capture Dublin. As I have 30 years to complete the task and due to waging war
with the Scottish and Spanish, this mission will have to wait for now.
By 1146 France’s King has travelled to Caen. Despite facing the prospect of two armies
attacking at once, I still decide to go into battle in order to defend my
territory. With the French armed with multiple ballistas and catapults, it is
imperative to take away their long range strike capability before too much
damage is done, so all men are ordered to charge towards their position. Within moments, the enemy King is slain and
my English army continue to press their advantage. As the French retreat into
the woods, they are joined by a large wave of reinforcements that cut down
large numbers of my men, including two Generals. Fortunately morale holds firm and finally, after a lengthy and
hard fought battle, the English march on to victory.
After the battle, another army is ready to claim back
Edinburgh, so I have no choice but to fight them too. Facing an uphill battle during a blizzard, the Scots quickly
retreat once they see my mighty army coming over the horizon. Scotland is now
at the mercy of my armies.
As it seems that I’m about to be overwhelmed by the amount
of opposition in Europe, Spain, perhaps intimidated by my success against the
French, suddenly offer a ceasefire, giving me a chance to rebuild my forces in
Northern France. Back in Scotland, a spy reveals that there are minimal troops
based in Inverness, so a large army is sent up to start a siege. While my battles have been successful in
England and France, I have been unable to rally enough troops together to
attempt the Council of Nobles mission to capture Dublin. With only a few years remaining on my
mission, it seems unlikely that I will be able to please the Council by fulfilling
this particular mission.
Just as it looks that Scotland will finally fall, the Pope
delivers a mission to immediately cease hostilities with my fellow
Christians. Breaking these terms within
the next 12 years could result in excommunication with the Vatican. I am certainly in no position to take on the
Vatican so I will be forced to withdraw from the siege. In 1156, diplomats are sent to try and mend
relations between the French and Scottish. As I have wiped significant numbers
of their armies out, this should make them more likely to accept peace.
Receiving word that the Pope has died, the College of
Cardinals will elect a new Pope from their ranks. As I have a Cardinal, England
will have some influence in how the elections go. Voting for the neutral Portugal ensures that the new Pope has no
established negative feelings towards us.
Unfortunately though, Milan have their Cardinal elected, and warns that
I was unwise not to have supported him. It seems the election has gained me
little advantage.
King Louis The Watcher of France sends his own men to
counter attack, and with the French King himself in my sights, I temporarily
withdraw from the siege to take on his army.
I defeat his troops and capture King Louis. I now have the option to put
him and 5 bodyguards to ransom for an unprecedented 11,652 florins! My plan was to release the King for ransom,
and then track him down afterwards and kill him mercilessly. Unfortunately the
French have seen through my intentions and decline the ransom due to a lack of
funds, and their monarch meets with his death.
Continuing the siege of Angers in 1174, the French decide to
front an early attack. With my siege
equipment uncompleted, I will have to wait for them to open the gates before I
stand a chance of capturing the fortress.
Baiting them out, all waves of opposition are killed as they leave the
gate and my troops march in to mop up the remaining resistance. Upon capturing Angers, another French army
prepares to attack, while the Scottish lay siege on Edinburgh. There is also a rebel faction heading
towards Caernarvon. For now, I decide to send troops to protect Edinburgh,
realising that this will probably insight the wrath of the Pope.
Clearly annoyed about the loss of Angers, the French send
another army to reclaim their former land, led by the French Faction heir. Positioned on the other side of a bridge,
the French rain down heavy missile fire as my troops cross the water. Taking heavy casualties, it was imperative
to engage the enemy as quickly as possible, before my army become demoralised.
The tactic proves successful and with another victory in the bag, the mighty
English army is now listed as the third most powerful in the world.
If I were to start this campaign again, on reflection it
would have been beneficial to build up more early alliances in Europe to create
further opportunities for trade. Capturing more rebel settlements would have
also allowed for greater expansion without creating hostilities with rival
factions. If I had known to take out
Scotland before the Vatican got so heavily involved, then I wouldn’t have had
to keep calling off sieges, thereby allowing them time to rebuild their
numbers. More utilization of spies and assassins would have increased their skill
and effectiveness. Additionally, with a
stronger navel fleet I could have completed the mission to conquer Dublin. Still, there’s always next time…
Hopefully this gives you a small taste of what to expect
when you play through the epic campaign mode.
Of course, this is only my personal experience as playing through 100
years with the English. Every faction
chosen and decision made provides different challenges, troops, and missions to
make each campaign unique.
I wish you luck in carving your own historical legacy, and
invite you to share your own campaign experiences on our official forums!
Thanks for reading,
Mark O’Connell
